US Military Aircraft Refueling Affecting Israeli Airports

‍TEL AVIV — According to Voice of Emirates, airport operations in Israel are being affected by US military support aircraft refueling at Israeli airports.

Since the start of the conflict with Iran, the USA has deployed aircraft to the region to support military operations since the outbreak of the war. These aircraft are refueling in Israel. The refueling situation has resulted in an operational crisis at Ben Gurion (TLV) and Ramon (ETM) airports. These airports have implemented "operational shutdowns".

Effect on Israel

Israel's Transportation Minister Miri Regev has said that this situation is affecting passengers and airlines and that up to 2.4 million tickets could be canceled.

The minister warned that the economic effects could result in losses amounting to billions of shekels. This would impact airlines, Israel's tourism sector, and the entire economy.

Regev says that Ben Gurion Airport is experiencing significant congestion, with up to 72 US tankers refueling there. These aircraft occupy more than half of the aircraft parking spaces at TLV.

Meanwhile, at ETM in southern Israel, aircraft parking space has reached approximately 90% with US tankers refueling there. This leaves little space for civilian aircraft.

The situation is affecting airport operations, forcing civilian aircraft to remain on the apron for extended periods while they wait for parking spaces.

Solution: Sharing the load

Regev has written to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to highlight the matter. While regional security is paramount, this situation needs a speedy solution to prevent an aviation crisis for Israel.

She has proposed relocating at least 30 US aircraft to facilities outside of Israel. The minister also suggests the refueling of US aircraft at military bases. Regev also pointed out that none of the US aircraft are currently stationed at Israeli air bases.